Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Purpose of the Church, Pt. 2
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I'm still pondering what the church is supposed to be all about...Certainly the worship of God, our Savior is a primary reason for the church. My former professor, Garen L. Wolf gives us a clue. He states that when we come to worship at church, it is not about us, but all about Him. When you think of some of what is going on in modern churches today, one has to wonder if this simple, yet profound concept has been forgotten or tossed on the ash heap of yesteryear, outdated and irrelevant. Recently, I was introduced to a Youtube clip from MorningStar Ministries in South Carolina. This is the "Holy Ghost Hokie Pokie." I'm not kidding. This has a hard, driving beat which is reminiscent of rock music which is another whole topic of discussion, and it's words repeated over and over with very little variation. It is a horrible example of "working a crowd up," to try and achieve a particular outcome. I also wonder how this could really be "all about God," when it appears to be more about people shaking, gyrating and trying to feel good about something? I give you the clip for your own conclusion...(see above) From Youtube, we find some of the words which are part of this "song." "You put your right hand in, you take your right hand out, you put your whole self in and see astounding and miraculous healing's all about..." (taken from HarvestFest 2009).
Where, may I ask is there anything about worshiping and glorifying God? Where is the God focus which causes us to muse on His mighty attributes? Where is His glory that we might see how we desperately need Him? As Dr. Steve Lawson stated recently at the Strange Fire Conference at Grace Community Church in California, this is like a "bad fraternity party." Nothing here about worship or the grace of God shown to us in Christ.
I contrast that with the words and music of this beautiful hymn, Blessed Assurance. Here, Fanny Crosby, blind most of her life, writes of the wonderful assurance she has in Christ. "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood!" Here, we see Christ lifted up, while the songwriter testifies of the wonderful change in her life since Christ has entered! I submit, there is no comparison. Which one of these two "worship styles," best represents Ephesians 4:12-14 as to the purpose of the church? ."... for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY19JgtL3Wg
The answer is very obvious...
Sunday, March 9, 2014
The Church's Purpose?
What is the purpose of the church? Ephesians 4:12-14 gives us God's answer..."... for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till
we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ; that
we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting..."
Is the church a place for saints or sinners? Is the church a place for social clubbiness or the gospel being preached? Is the church a place for saints to be built up, edified and encouraged, or should we pander to the sinners and try how to make them feel comfortable?
It is alarming when churches shift their focus from the scriptures and the edification of saints to trying to figure out what will make sinners "comfortable" in the church atmosphere! Going so far as to poll sinners to find out what kind of music they want, instead of turning to the scripture and Biblical principles to figure out how we can better honor Christ through our music and worship.
Above all, the local church must be focused on the scriptures, lifting up Christ and preaching the gospel. Social programs may follow as the local church seeks to follow Christ, but it won't be the primary focus.
What did the early church do in their times of gathering? The book of Acts gives
us information about that..."And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (2:42) If local churches would follow this model, how different the church world would be. Does your local church follow this model, or the modern, "seeker friendly" one?
Is the church a place for saints or sinners? Is the church a place for social clubbiness or the gospel being preached? Is the church a place for saints to be built up, edified and encouraged, or should we pander to the sinners and try how to make them feel comfortable?
It is alarming when churches shift their focus from the scriptures and the edification of saints to trying to figure out what will make sinners "comfortable" in the church atmosphere! Going so far as to poll sinners to find out what kind of music they want, instead of turning to the scripture and Biblical principles to figure out how we can better honor Christ through our music and worship.
Above all, the local church must be focused on the scriptures, lifting up Christ and preaching the gospel. Social programs may follow as the local church seeks to follow Christ, but it won't be the primary focus.
What did the early church do in their times of gathering? The book of Acts gives
us information about that..."And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (2:42) If local churches would follow this model, how different the church world would be. Does your local church follow this model, or the modern, "seeker friendly" one?
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